The faster you're going though the more stable you are. That has to be gyroscopic since the physics of the situation is unchanged otherwise. If you look at bi

The faster you're going though the more stable you are. That has to be gyroscopic since the physics of the situation is unchanged otherwise. If you look at bicycle racers flying down the hill you'll not discern any balancing movement at all. It's minute. However at slow speed it's easy to feel yourself balancing. The science museum demo I mentioned is done with small wheels. Even smaller than your average bicycle. The gyroscopic effect is quite significant. Do this at home: Put handles on the side of a bicycle wheel. Spin it (doesn't need to be that fast). Now try to turn it. You'll know what I'm talking about once you've done this experiment. That said because bicycles are smaller, your mass is larger, and they're typically not going as fast the effect of moving your center of mass e.g. is a lot larger and counter-steering is less noticeable. On a motorcycle there's no way you can't notice it and it was only after I started riding motorcycles that I was more aware of this on the bicycle. Once you go back from your motorcycle to your bicycle you will do this more consciously at speed... I agree with your description of this as some sort of continuum, with less mass, speed and smaller wheels the relative weight of the different effects changes. Clearly on a stationary motorcycle or bicycle counter-steering isn't going to do much :) And yeah, counter-steering is relative to your lean angle, however at slow speeds if you're leaning then you need the throttle to take you out of the lean otherwise you'll just fall over... At speed it's easy to flick the bike quickly from side to side just by counter-steering both ways...